This association area--one of three in the cortex--is responsible for the assembly of auditory, visual, and somatosensory system information. Meaning is assigned to stimuli in the PTO, which outputs to numerous other areas of the brain, notably the limbic and prefrontal association areas, which are involved in memory.

In the left hemisphere, the PTO is involved in language recognition (reading, listening, and braille), but is not entirely responsible for these tasks. Language in all its modalities is covered using many different parts of the brain including Heschl's gyrus in the left hemisphere. In the right the PTO identifies the spatial characteristics of objects and is involved in spatial awareness.